The Monthly Workforce Newsletter of the Council of Industry
September 7, 2023
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Dutchess Community College Opens State-of-the Art Mechatronics Lab In Fishkill
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The Mechatronics Lab at DCC, located at the intersection of U.S. Route 9 and Interstate 84 in Fishkill, will officially open its doors this fall. This 6,000-square-foot facility is equipped with cutting-edge technology and comprises three labs dedicated to hands-on training in four core areas: automation, electrical, HVAC, and mechanical.
Developed collaboratively with industry partners including the Council of Industry, IBM, Onsemi, eMagin and MPI, the Mechatronics Lab will provide a range of programs, catering to students seeking academic credits and those pursuing non-credit options. Professionals already active in the field can enhance their abilities, while newcomers can acquire the technical skills necessary to kickstart their careers.
DCC offers short-term, industry-recognized credentials in topics ranging from pneumatics to robotics, and now, students can pursue DCC’s certificate program in air conditioning/refrigeration and associate degree in electrical technology. With more trainings to come, such as Certified Production Technician (CPT) Plus and Certified Technician – Supply Chain Automation (CT-SCA) certifications, the Mechatronics Lab will establish itself as the premier training and manufacturing hub of the Mid-Hudson Valley.
For more information about programs and trainings offered in the new Mechatronics Lab, visit sunydutchess.edu/mechatronics or contact Coordinator of Mechatronics Programming Freddy Santiago at (845) 790-3645.
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WKIP to Broadcast Live from DCC’s New Mechatronics Lab on Mfg Day, October 6th — Start Planning Your Event, Too!
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The Council of Industry will once again team up with WKIP’s Hudson Valley Focus Live to celebrate National Manufacturing Day October 6th. The broadcast will be live from Dutchess Community College’s new Mechatronics Lab located at the college’s Fishkill campus. The broadcast will take place from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and will include guests from the education, economic development, government and the manufacturing industries.
Celebrated nationally on the first Friday in October, Mfg Day is manufacturing’s biggest annual opportunity to inspire the next generation, positively shift perceptions about our industry, and build the foundation for the manufacturing workforce of the future. Now is the time for you to start planning an event for your company. By hosting a Mfg Day event you help students, teachers, parents and community leaders explore careers in modern manufacturing and see how creators are making the future in the United States and the Hudson Valley. Events can be as simple as an open house, a tour for teachers and students or workshops and hands-on experiences. Mfg Day helps us end the misperceptions of modern manufacturing and present the sector as a viable career path in our region.
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Council of Industry Training: Plenty of Opportunities to Upskill Your Workforce This Fall
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The Council of Industry on its partners have put together a busy schedule of training for manufacturers this Fall. It includes our very popular Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership (being held remotely), Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Solidworks, workplace safety and more.
Council training programs are designed by manufacturers to provide the skills your workforce needs to be successful in today’s global economy.
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CI Golf Outing August 28th - Good Weather and Good Times
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More than 100 golfers teed off August 28th at the Powelton Club in Newburgh for the Council of Industry’s annual golf outing.
JG Law’s team of Michele Babcock, Wayne Cutter, Chris Seger and Michael Limperopulos won the Scramble competition with a score of 62. The Yellow (Belfor) Ball was won by M&T Bank’s team of Mark Stellwag, Mike Weinstock, and Steve Porath. And the winners of the Best Ball competition and the coveted Council Cup were Brian Huff, Don Sanzione, Bill Hoffman and Dave Jackman form JP Morgan Chase.
Dave Weinstock (M&T Bank) won Closest to the Pin. Rachel Parker (Fair Rite Products) won Ladies Long Drive. John Roessner (Elna Magnetics) won Men’s Long Drive. Our thanks to the staff at the Powelton Club for putting on a terrific event and a big THANK YOU to all our sponsors (below).
Tee Sign Sponsors: AMI Services Inc., Arnoff Global Logistics, Balchem Corp., Eastern Alloys, Elna Magnetics, Emergency One Urgent Care & Occupational Health, Fair-Rite Products Corp., Fryer Machine Systems Inc., GTI Graphic Technology, Inc., Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, ITC Communications, LaBella Associates, M&T Bank, Metallized Carbon Corporation, Orange Bank & Trust Company, Pawling Corporation, PKF O'Connor Davies, LLP, RBT CPAs LLP, Sono-Tek Corp., TD Bank
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Periodically the Council of Industry will share profiles of individuals who have applied for, or expressed an interest in, a job in Hudson Valley manufacturing.
Other Council members can contact Johnnieanne Hansen directly for additional candidate details or to learn more about the recruiting initiative.
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Position Interest: Facilities / Maintenance Manager
Education: EPA Technician Certification
HVAC Cert.
Associate’s degree
Level: Senior level
Summary: Their extensive professional journey includes a significant tenure as a Facility / Maintenance Manager since 2010, where they have excelled in overseeing building maintenance and operations. Prior to this, they served as a Senior Journeyman Pressman / Supervisor from 1984 to 2010, further enhancing their leadership and management skills. They are readily available for interviews and are open to commuting 30–45-minute from Brewster, NY, poised to bring their extensive experience to your organization's facility management needs.
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Position Interest: Production Supervisor/Manager
Education: Bachelor of Science
Level: Mid-Senior level
Summary: This seasoned professional is keenly interested in mid to senior-level roles as a Production Supervisor or Manager. With over 8 years of warehouse and manufacturing experience, including 4 years overseeing shipping operations and another 4 years in production management.
Their academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, providing a strong foundation in production processes. Open to interviews this candidate plans to relocate to Tarrytown, NY. This candidate is poised to contribute their expertise and dedication to your organization's success.
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Position Interest: Facilities, Operations, Maintenance
Education: Bachelor of Science
Level: Senior level
Summary: This candidate is a seasoned professional in the facilities & maintenance sector with over 21 years of experience managing multiple locations and offices within a single company.
Experienced in all facets of building maintenance and operations, including HVAC, electrical, maintenance management systems, reporting, staffing and work orders. This individual is a great asset to any company looking to oversee their building operations and facilities maintenance. They are open to interviews.
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Position Interest: Mechanical/Design Engineering
Education: Bachelor of Science: Mechanical Engineering
Level: Entry-Mid level
Summary: This candidate is a seasoned professional in the facilities & maintenance sector with over 21 years of experience managing multiple locations and offices within a single company.
This candidate is a Mechanical Engineer college graduate with a handful of years as a Mechanical Design Engineer in Plainview, NY. Extensive experience in design engineering using a handful of software such as CATIA, Solidworks, etc. A recent relocation to the Stormville area. If you are looking for an individual that is looking to grow with a company, please do not hesitate to reach out.
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Welcome, New Apprentices!
Anthony C. – CNC Machinst, Selux
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Need to Upskill Your Workforce?
The MIAP Apprentice Program Can Help.
CNC Machinist, Toolmaker Quality Assurance Auditor, Industrial Manufacturing Technician, Maintenance Mechanic and Electro-Mechanical Trades are all available.
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News for HR and Workforce Professionals
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Why Labor Shortages Aren’t Going Anywhere
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There are signs that the hot labor market is cooling — a bit. Job creation has been trending down, as have the wages posted by companies making new hires. But it’s still pretty hard for employers to find the job candidates they’re looking for and pay them the going rate. National unemployment’s at 3.8%.. Plus, job openings still outnumber job seekers by about 1½ to 1. Add demographic shifts, especially an aging workforce, and those labor shortages could be with us for a while.
From his office on the outskirts of Chicago, Jim Piper looked down on the shop floor of his manufacturing company, Matot — where about 40 workers cut, bend and weld sheet metal to make dumbwaiters and lift systems for commercial and industrial clients. That business is being juiced by the CHIPS Act, he said. But finding new skilled workers is a problem he thinks about every day. “It’s probably my No. 1 issue: the so-called silver tsunami,” Piper said. “We have several employees on our shop floor that have been with us for over 40 years. Which is great — they’re the backbone of our manufacturing facility — but we recognize that we’re going to need to replace them soon.”
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‘The Great Gloom”: Employees Are Unhappier Than Ever, Report Finds
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BambooHR released its Employee Happiness Index, which is based on an analysis of more than 57,000 unique eNPS responses in BambooHR’s platform from global workers across eight key industries. The average satisfaction score has fallen by 16% since June 2020 and by 11% from June 2022 to June 2023. The continuing downward trend of employee dissatisfaction has seen less volatility over time, demonstrating how entrenched the trend has become.
“The new norm of ‘unprecedented times’ is causing enormous stress,” said Brad Rencher, CEO of software company BambooHR. “Today’s complex problems will require leaders to be proactive, adaptive and data-informed to beat back the Great Gloom. To succeed in a rapidly evolving world, businesses will need to prioritize employee experience in real, meaningful ways like never before. Anything less than a holistic approach to developing the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of each employee, in addition to their skills, will fall short.”
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Employers Anticipate 7% Rise in Health Care Costs for 2024
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U.S. corporate employers project a median health care cost increase of 7 percent for 2024, according to new data from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), a nonpartisan group with more than 31,000 members. It's the second year in a row that employers have projected a 7 percent hike. The projected increases for 2024 are in line with what employers foresaw last year for 2023, but they are higher than what employers projected for 2021 and 2022, when fewer employees were utilizing routine health care—such as preventive screenings and regular checkups—because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In those two years, employers projected annual cost hikes of between 4 percent and 5 percent.
The foundation's survey of 171 employers, conducted in early August is important information that indicates that inflation continues to have an impact, although the numbers are not too surprising, said Julie Stich, vice president of content at IFEBP. "What we're seeing is certainly the impact of inflation overall and what that is doing for some of the medical trends, what it's doing to supply and labor shortages and costs of goods and services, and shortages in supplies and staffing and how that's impacting providers," Stich explained. "And those costs are being passed along to employers."
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Survey: Remote Work Isn’t Going Away — and Executives Know It
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Remote work spiked during the pandemic, from about 6% of full workdays in the U.S. to more than 50% in the spring of 2020. Since then, it’s steadily decreased and since early 2023 has hovered around 28%. Many executives believe it’s time to come back to the office. The most recent iteration of the Survey of Business Uncertainty, conducted in July 2023, asks: “Looking forward to five years from now, what share of your firm’s full-time employees do you expect to be in each category [fully in person, hybrid, fully remote] in 2028?” The Answer: executives expect both fully remote and hybrid work to continue to grow.
First, as remote-working technology improves, the share of people working remotely increases. Second, remote work will increase because startups born since the pandemic are more likely to use it. As these younger firms grow, the share of jobs offering remote work will increase. Third, and perhaps least obvious, the U.S. is well positioned for remote work. Remote work is a form of decentralization and personal autonomy: It gives employees more discretion over how and when they work. Management researchers have long known that for decentralized decision making to succeed, a company must be especially well managed.
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OSHA Heat “Framework” - As the Temperature Rises, Employer Obligations Rise Too
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On August 30, 2023, OSHA released a “Regulatory Framework” meant to outline potential options for the elements of a future OSHA standard. This framework shows that OSHA is focused on a programmatic standard where employers are required to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplaces, but also permit some customization of those plans based on various factors. In the short term, this framework provides employers with an indication of the type of items OSHA may be looking for during a heat illness or injury inspection.
However, this framework is far from a final OSHA standard and any final heat-safety standard will almost surely be challenged in the courts, potentially further extending implementation.
While in the past focus on heat-safety violations may have been limited to the construction and agriculture industries, OSHA is now equally focused on heat-safety violations found in indoor work environments, such as manufacturing facilities. This expanded focus includes the manufacturing and warehouse industries. OSHA has also been conducting an annual heat awareness campaign for the last decade and in 2022, began its heat enforcement program.
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Manufacturing Groups Push Back Against White House Plan to Pay More Workers Overtime
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Two manufacturing industry groups are pushing back against a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that would guarantee overtime pay for most salaried workers earning less than $55,000 per year, up from the current cap of about $35,500. If it becomes final, the change would extend overtime protections to 3.6 million salaried workers who are now paid at their standard rate while working more than 40 hours per week, even as their hourly wage colleagues collect time-and-a-half.
According to the National Association of Manufacturers, the rule would add undue regulatory burdens and compliance costs, NAM Managing Vice President of Policy Chris Netram said in a release. “Manufacturers have spent the past several years adapting operations and personnel management resources to meet the evolving needs of their workforce in a post-pandemic environment, including through improved wages and benefits and productive workplace accommodations. The DOL’s proposed rule would inject new regulatory burdens and compliance costs to an industry already reeling from workforce shortages and an onslaught of other unbalanced regulations,” Netram said. Likewise, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) said the rule would introduce further instability in an already strained labor market.
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An Inclusive Approach to Safety
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When an organization is inclusive and engenders a sense of belonging, people are more likely to keep themselves and others safe. It’s important to understand what is meant by inclusion. Diversity, equity and inclusion are often lumped together, almost as if they are synonymous. It is perfectly possible for an organization to be diverse and equitable – providing equal rights and opportunities for all, however, without being inclusive. Employees may be treated fairly but will only feel included when they also know they are trusted, have a sense of belonging, and feel their voice is heard.
The link to safety here is clear: a psychologically safe working environment is one of trust, shared values and confidence, in which all team members feel comfortable speaking without fear. When this type of culture thrives, individuals are empowered to do their best and teams are more likely to perform well and adapt effectively. In essence, the characteristics of inclusive and psychologically safe environments are the same. Given this, what can we do as safety leaders to nurture both inclusion and psychological safety in our workplaces?
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Reminder: New York State Pay Transparency Obligations Take Effect Sept. 17
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Employers are reminded that the New York State Pay Transparency Law goes into effect Sept. 17, 2023. Covered employers must include in any advertisement for a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly range. For more on employers’ obligations in New York State, see our articles, New York State Governor Signs Statewide Pay Transparency Law - Jackson Lewis and New York State Amends Pay Transparency Law - Jackson Lewis.
New York State employers should modify their job advertisements as needed. The New York State and New York City pay transparency laws are part of a larger trend in the United States with numerous jurisdictions, including California, Illinois, and Washington, enacting similar legislation.
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NLRB Restores Expedited (Ambush) Union Election Procedures
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On Aug. 25, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) published a final rule regarding election proceedings. In issuing the rule, the NLRB reinstated election procedures it issued in 2014. These procedures shorten the union election and certification processes and reinstate what have been termed “ambush” elections. In 2019 the NLRB issued a rule replacing many of the provisions of the 2014 rule, but several of the provisions of the 2019 rule were invalidated in AFL-CIO v. NLRB, 57 F.4th 1023 (D.C. Cir. 2023). The NLRB’s latest rule rescinded additional provisions of the 2019 rule.
The NLRB’s new final rule becomes effective Dec. 26, 2023. The effects of the new rule will speed up the election process and limit employers’ time to campaign against unionization. Additionally, the elimination of the requirement for petitioners to file a written response to employers’ statements of position will make it more difficult for employers to prepare for the pre-election hearing. This final rule was issued without the typical notice and comment period. The NLRB stated that issuing a direct final rule was appropriate because its provisions “concern agency procedure and are therefore exempt from notice and comment” and because the final rule rescinded the 2019 rule and returned to the 2014 rule that was issued after notice and comments.
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Companies Give Workers With Criminal Records a Chance
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In the US, 95% of incarcerated individuals will return to our communities. However, despite 81% of business leaders and 85% of human resources executives acknowledging that individuals with criminal records perform just as well or better than their non-incarcerated peers, 27% still face unemployment. Sustainable employment is crucial for individuals to rebuild their lives and break the incarceration cycle.
One of the biggest obstacles those previously incarcerated face is the stigma of their criminal history. In 2021, nearly two-thirds (66%) of human resources professionals said they would be willing to work with individuals with criminal records. This figure is up from 49% who said they would be ready in 2018. However, more is needed. All human resources can support reentry by accepting gaps in resumes, transferable skills from incarceration experiences and functional resumes over chronological.
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iCIMS August Labor Market Insights – “The Tea Leaves Are Hard to Read”
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While employer activity dipped slightly for the second month in a row, applications continue to flow into the market. This aligns with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)August Jobs Report, which reported unemployment hovering near historic low numbers at 3.5%. According to the BLS, most people who want to work can find jobs, but that may not be true in all sectors.
In a recent survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, iCIMS found that people want an opportunity to grow with their employers. Yet when we look at the growth of internal applicants compared to external applicants, there’s a significant lag in employees applying for roles internally. Amid hiring freezes, reductions and economic uncertainty, giving employees areas on to stick around helps improve retention and makes good business sense.
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Upcoming Programs, Training and Events
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SOLIDWORKS Essentials Training Event
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Date: 9/27, 9/28, 10/3, & 10/4
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (EST)
SOLIDWORKS Essentials teaches you how to use SOLIDWORKS mechanical design automation software to build parametric models of parts and assemblies, and how to make drawings of those parts and assemblies.
This course will cover a wide array of topics, including:
- SOLIDWORKS Basics and the User Interface
- Introduction to Sketching
- Basic Part Modeling
- Symmetry and Draft
- Patterning
- Revolved Features
- Shelling and Ribs
- Editing: Repairs
- Editing: Design Changes
- Configurations
- Global Variables and Equations
- Using Drawings
- Bottom-Up Assembly Modeling
- Using Assemblies
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Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership *Register for an Individual Course Today!*
For over 25 years, the Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership program has offered attendees a range of leadership skills through a series of concentrated courses.
Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership Schedule:
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